A gas turbine combustor typically includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged combustors within a combustor shell and surrounding a turbine rotor. At start-up, ignition is established in the fuel/air mixtures of certain combustors that include igniters, thereby creating a flame. As certain combustors may not include igniters, cross-flame tubes are used to connect the combustors. The cross-flame tubes carry the flame from combustor to combustor around the combustor array until a flame has been established in all of the combustors. Flame detectors in the combustors opposite those with igniters may be used to verify that a flame has been established in each combustor. During operation, the cross-flame tubes act to re-establish combustion in any combustor that may experience a flame-out.
Traditionally, the cross-flame tubes were formed from a flexible metal hose having flanges at each end. The flexible material may be used to compensate for assembly tolerances and a sliding fit between components of the tube may be designed to accommodate differential thermal growth. These designs however are susceptible to thermal and mechanical stresses that result in component fatigue and operational failures. It is therefore desirable to provide an improved cross-flame tube that addresses the thermal and mechanical limitations of prior art designs.